Pieces
by 401
Summary: Post KHII. Sora's first impression is that he is finally living his dreams, but as things around him change and he's faced with the one decision he doesn't want to make, he's only got his heart to answer him. SoKai, eventual RikuSora
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi guys! 8D I'm totally overexcited about this story, and though I was planning on not to release it before finishing _I wouldn't believe if it wasn't real_, I couldn't help but.. I just have so many ideas for this story and I like how it's mainly concentrating on the relationships and feelings, rather than a lot of action-filled scenes (which I, for the record, suck at coming up with! xD) and plot twists. Dunno, I guess I just realized I like writing about relationship drama the most? xDD lol

ALSO, it starts with SoKai, yeah. I just don't see how it wouldn't, since this story actually is post-KHII and it wouldn't make sense to me if Sora suddenly had a complete change of heart. Buuuuut, everything will unfold, including the RikuSora of this story... ~w~ (Not to mention you're totally gonna be ecstatic once it happens after the long wait, I know you fangirls, or do I?)

**xxx**

He had finally made it. The dream he had had ever since Kairi first appeared on Destiny Islands for over four years ago, had now came true. He had finally done something he was sure to never regret, something that was about himself and his life. Something he had wanted to do already way before he and his friends were sent out on the journey between different worlds. Something he had promised himself that he would do once the mess with Kingdom Hearts was done with.

Thinking back at the times before Kingdom Hearts brought a smile to the young boy's face. How naïve he had been, how he hadn't had a single clue of what his wish of travelling to different worlds would really mean. He thought he was going to go with Riku and Kairi, exploring the different worlds, seeing and experiencing different places. Reality had turned out to be nothing like he had imagined. Fighting heartless and Nobodies while looking for your friends and constantly worrying if you would ever be able to see them again had been really exhausting while knowing that one mistake could mean the end for all the three of them.

Sora's thoughts wandered back to today's events. It was funny how something he had done way before the door opened would actually play a role even after the door closed and disappeared altogether. In a way though, it was comforting to find that nothing about their home had changed or gone missing during the times when free passage through worlds was possible.

The day when he and Kairi had drawn each other's faces on the walls of their secret place came into the brunets mind. It had been such an innocent act back then, and now it had bloomed into so much more. It was almost as if he knew already way back then, that he and Kairi were meant to be. And all those silly times he had competed with Riku about the new girl. He couldn't help but recalling just how upset he had been when Riku had joked about competing who would get to share a paopu fruit with Kairi.

His childhood dream had now come true.

It had been very unexpected, but pleasant nonetheless. Just like any other day, Kairi and Sora would hang out after school. Riku would sometimes join them, but being two grades above the other two, he didn't have as much free time anymore. Only months had passed since the three of them had arrived back at Destiny Island since they had closed the doors to the other worlds, but everything had already gone back to normal. It was almost scary, that the only thing they seemed to have left, were the memories.

"_But the secret place still kind of, serves as a reminder, don't you think?_" Kairi had said. With those words, she and Sora had decided to visit the place that afternoon.

Nothing between the two of them had been anything out of normal, they were joking and laughing, talking serious and less serious things, and goofing around like they usually would.

But then, when the duo reached their destination, it all just happened. Having smiled at the door that was now missing, the teenagers started examining at the drawings on the walls. Some had been done by Sora and Riku before Kairi had appeared at their island, some of them were a mess caused by the three of them. Next to where the door had been, there were the two faces Kairi and Sora had drawn.

The brunet boy had completely forgotten, that Kairi had never seen the new version of the drawing – Sora handing a paopu fruit to Kairi. It hadn't even crossed his mind until Kairi had uttered him the question.

"_Do you like me, Sora?_"

Sitting there, on his knees, Sora had realized the situation and suddenly been lost for words, blushing slightly. What could he say? He had of course planned on telling Kairi some day, but this event had caught him off guard – he hadn't been prepared for this.

But deep in his heart a voice told him, that it was now or never. After all, wasn't this the thing he had been dreaming about for so very long? What else was there to do than take the chance and confess?

"_Y-yeah, I do.._"

Then, Kairi had kissed him. He'd barely had the time to notice a pair of soft and feminine hands making their way to his cheeks and turning his face around, before he felt her lips on his own. Instinctively, he took the invitation, and pulled Kairi closer.

Nothing had gone as Sora had imagined it to, but the more he thought about it, the more perfect it seemed to be. There had been just the two of them, no awkwardness or anything, and the place had been perfect. The brunet couldn't complain, and best of all, Kairi was now truly his. Maybe some God up there actually had heard his prayers, and as a reward for all he had done, now made his wishes come true.

Sora realized he was grinning like an idiot where he sat on his bed, and reached out for his bag to do the one important thing he still had to do – tell Riku about him and Kairi. He couldn't help the small voice of victory singing in his heart, having finally won over his best friend. Riku might have been able to outrun him in any physical way, but Sora felt all the prouder, that Kairi actually chose him even though Riku seemed more perfect in any other way.

"_Guess what? I think me and Kairi both just stopped being single!_" He typed into the screen, picking his older friends number from the list and pressing send.

"There you go, Riku!" He laughed to himself, mainly because his heart felt lighter than it had in a while. He put his phone aside and slumped down on the bed again.

The sun was setting outside. Sora contemplated on giving his new girlfriend a call, but decided to send her a text instead so that he wouldn't give the impression of being clingy. He watched the bright colours of red and orange painting the sky, while – for probably the fiftieth time – going through the day's events in his mind. He thought of how perfect his life had been since Kingdom Hearts had been destroyed and over with. The brunet had been in great doubt if he ever would see his friends or his family, or even the islands again – but everything had gone so well in the end.

He felt something buzzing next to him, and the boy reached out for his phone lying next to him on the bed. It was a text message from Riku.

"_You're not kidding me, are you? Congratulations, I guess. How did you break it to her?_"

Sora's first reaction was a grimace at the lack of enthusiasm in the message from his silveret friend, but he was so excited himself, that he couldn't help but typing Riku a long message, explaining all the events in detail. Having put all of what happened into words, Sora felt a little more convinced, that what had happened was actually real.

It wasn't one of those fantasies he had had, where he only dreamed about confessing his feelings to Kairi. This was real. It was so real that it sent the brunet giggling to himself, staring into the roof with the same grin plastered on his face.

Tomorrow, everyone at school would get to know the news, too. In his mind, Sora could already picture Selphie squealing in delight, Tidus and Wakka congratulating him by saying something like "Sora has become real a man!", and best of all, he would be allowed to hold hands with Kairi and show the world that she was his now.

Sora wondered if he would be able to get sleep that night. Everything still felt a bit unreal, and he felt just the slightest uncertain, if it all could disappear if he stopped thinking about it.

Too caught in his own sappy thoughts, the brunet didn't even realize there was no reply from Riku has he lied in his bed, slowly drifting asleep as the sun continued to set. There were too many wonderful things surrounding the boy for him to worry.

After all, his day had been perfect.

**xxx**

"You finally did it!" Came the squeal of disbelief from a bouncy girl with green eyes and golden brown hair. Selphie was the first one to notice Sora and Kairi approaching the school grounds –

holding hands. She started running towards the two of them, seemingly overwhelmed with joy.

"You guys, I'm so happy for you! This is the best! I love you! Waah!" She continued and jumped forward to hug the newly announced pair.

Kairi laughed and used her free hand to hug their friend, while Sora felt somewhat awkward, realizing he maybe wasn't supposed to hug other girls now. Instead, he just smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Hey man, this is new!" Wakka shouted, approaching the others with a big smile alongside with Tidus who was laughing in disbelief.

"Damn Sora, way to go!" Tidus cheered, giving Sora a high-five as they arrived. The brunet returned the gesture with a laugh, while Selphie was busy hugging her red-haired friend, still squealing and jumping around, making it hard for Kairi to hold onto her.

At the same time, an unnoticed silveret approached the heap of teenagers. His silver hair, which usually was in a high ponytail, now freely fell onto his shoulders, moving slightly in the wind. He casually carried a black messenger bag over his shoulder.

"Hi, Sora." He said, when he was close enough to be sure the brunet could hear him. The others silenced and turned around to see the silveret approaching. Selphie and Tidus tried to greet him, but the older boy kept his gaze locked at Sora, a small smile curving at his lips.

It seemed completely friendly, but those weren't exactly the vibes Sora was getting. The brunet was unable to point out exactly why, as the frosty aquamarine eyes kept looking right into his blue ones.

Instead of joining his friends, Riku just walked by.

"Where are you going, Riku?" Sora questioned, giving his best friend a confused look. Riku somehow always managed to seem completely like himself even if at the same time, he was acting so off.

"Class, doofus!" Riku shouted back, still wearing that weird smile, and gestured the only other one of legal age to come after him. "Get your ass moving, Wakka!"

"Yea man, no need to hurry!" Wakka replied, obeying anyway and setting into a jog to catch the silveret who kept his pace towards the other school building. "See you at lunch Sora, and congratulations, ya!" The surfer shouted, waving at the other youngsters who happily waved back at him.

As the two older boys had left, everyone went back to chatting and Sora felt Kairi sneak her hand into his. He gave it a small squeeze and smiled gently at the redhead. No one else seemed to have caught Riku's weird behaviour.

Even Sora had to admit that it seemed so normal he didn't really know why he thought it was weird. The look he gave Sora, maybe? Or the fact that he didn't stop by to congratulate Sora and Kairi for becoming an item?

"_Who knows…_" Sora thought to himself.

**xxx**

Later in the evening, a shower-fresh Sora entered his room with a towel wrapped around his hips, immediately starting to dig for some clothes in his closet. He was supposed to see Kairi tonight – they had planned to take a walk on the beach and watch the sunset together, like they used to when they were younger.

Though it wasn't such a big deal, Sora wanted to look good for once. If for no other reason, then at least for Kairi. He hoped that she could feel as proud of him as he felt of her, and decided to put some effort in it just for her sake. The brunet desperately dug through the messy piles of clothes, picking out a red t-shirt and a light blue one with a white print on the front. Placing them on his bed, he headed back to his closet, now trying to find some pants to match either of the shirts.

Trying to recall in his mind some random articles he had read about how women thought men should dress, he came to the conclusion that the point was to make a working entity. Realizing his sneakers were a mix of black and yellow, he discarded both t-shirts and dug for a yellow one.

A few moments later, he felt satisfied with the result; a yellow shirt, dark blue jeans and his favourite crown necklace to top it off. Realizing he would soon be in a hurry if he didn't leave the house, he rushed to the bathroom to quickly fix his hair and spay on some cologne.

Once downstairs, as Sora was putting on his shoes, his mother arrived to the hallway, looking slightly amused with her hands placed on her hips. She watched her son put on his shoes in a hurry, looking unusually well-dressed and smelling good.

"Where is my little boy going tonight, may I ask?" She questioned in a motherly tone, startling the brunet just slightly.

"Oh, hi mom." Sora said distractedly, and finished tying his shoelaces. "I have a date with Kairi." He replied and offered his mother a wide grin.

"A date with Kairi?" His mother echoed in disbelief, unable to stop the wide smile creeping up on her lips as well. "My, my, how come I haven't heard about any of this?"

"It sort of, just only happened." Sora answered, still smiling. He quickly checked his pockets to make sure he had everything he needed, before waving goodbye at his mother. "I have to go now mum, I'll be back before ten!" The brunet shouted while making his way out of the front door.

The sun had already begun to set as the brunet set pace towards the beach. It was only a ten minute walk, so he would be around five minutes early. Sora didn't mind though, he loved having some time alone as well, since life had been so hectic when travelling between different worlds, defeating heartless and trying to figure out what Kingdom Hearts was, all while looking for his friends. He had really learned to appreciate the peacefulness of the islands.

After all that had happened, the brunet was now convinced there really existed such a thing as destiny. He chuckled slightly at the irony of living on Destiny Islands and not having believed in destiny so strongly before. Still, as beautiful as it sounded, Sora couldn't help but feel slightly crept out by the thought that nothing in his life was in his hands to control.

Once he arrived at the beach, he sat down in the sand, facing the ocean. Memories of him and Riku playing on the beach for hours when they were kids surfaced in his mind. Riku and Sora had always been inseparable. Somehow, the silveret had become Sora's best friend, even though they usually hung out with the others as well; Tidus, Selphie and Wakka – and later on, Kairi as well.

Sora guessed that it might had Riku's strong personality that had appealed to him. While he enjoyed being around the other teenagers, Riku undeniably managed to have the brunet answer every challenge and the silveret never failed to catch Sora's attention. He almost had his younger friend wrapped around his finger.

But then again, it could just have been the age difference as well, since it wasn't very unusual for kids to look up to their older ones and wanting to be alike. Riku was barely a year and four months older than Sora was, but it surely made some difference. On the other hand though, there was Wakka who was almost two years older than the brunet himself, and yet, out of all the kids, Riku had become the most important to him.

Lost in thought, Sora was still gazing over the ocean once Kairi arrived. His mind was lost in the days of building the raft, when a sudden poke on his shoulder sent Sora jerking in surprise as he turned towards the direction of the poker – who turned out to be his giggling girlfriend. Sora let out a small laugh at his own silliness, scratching the back of his head.

"Kairi, you scared me!" He chuckled, turning around completely so that he could see her better.

She was dressed in a wine red halter neck top, with jewel embroiders around the neck, black pants and black ballerina shoes.

"You look amazing, Kairi." Sora said as he got up from the sand, leaning forward to give his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek.

Kairi blushed slightly, and took the boy's hands into hers before looking up at him with a bright smile on her lips.

"Thanks, Sora. You're looking very handsome as well."

"Hehe, thanks." Sora said sheepishly, silently happy that his efforts hadn't been in vain.

They started walking along the beach, slowly heading towards the small cliff in the middle of the beach. The same tree branch they used to sit on was still there on the same place, looking no different than it had two years before, yet, at the same time, nothing about Destiny Islands looked perfectly the same after having been to so many other, different worlds.

As if reading his thoughts, Kairi asked Sora a question.

"Do you ever want to go back? To the other worlds, I mean."

"I guess it would be nice." He replied, gazing at the vividly coloured sky. "I'd like to meet all those people I got to know during the journey." The brunet concluded, glancing at Kairi who was absently twisting a strand of hair around her finger. "You?"

"I really don't miss those worlds very much, you know." She chuckled slightly, as her violet eyes turned to meet a pair of deep blue ones looking straight back into hers. Gazing back at the ocean, she added; "I wouldn't mind visiting them though, as long as I could be sure we wouldn't have to go through everything we had to previously."

"Yeah." Sora laughed and squeezed Kairi's hand gently. "I wouldn't want to relive those times, either."

The red haired girl gave her boyfriend a peaceful smile, before untangling their hands and taking a few steps ahead of the brunet. Sora gave the girl a questioning, curious look.

"So.. Who's gonna be first on the tree branch?" She said in a slightly daring tone, smirking mischievously from behind her auburn red bangs.

Kairi took a few jogging steps, catching Sora's attention fully.

"Come on Kairi, you're not Riku!" The brunet chuckled, looking amusedly at his girlfriend.

"What? Afraid you gonna lose?" Kairi challenged, slowly quickening her pace into a run.

"Not in a million years!" Sora exclaimed and set into run as well.

Kairi's speed took him buy surprise, and it wasn't before she reached the cliff that he actually caught her and wrapped his arms around her to stop her from running further.

Giggling, Kairi let herself get caught by the boy, soon relaxing into his embrace while looking into the red, setting sun. Sora nuzzled into her neck, making the girl giggle again. He leaned his chin on Kairi's shoulder, and being only about an inch taller than her, they seemed to fit together perfectly.

A while of silence passed by as Sora held his new girlfriend, as both of them took in the mighty sight of the sky and the ocean.

"You know, I was thinking about destiny today.." Sora finally broke the silence, his eyes still focusing on something in the far horizon.

"Mhm?" Kairi hummed in question, and turned her head just slightly so that she could see his face.

"Don't you think there's something special with our names meaning "Sky" and "Sea", and here we are together, watching the sky and the sea?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Kairi chuckled and turned around to be able to loop her arms around the brunet as well. She rose a curious eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"I think that I'm starting to believe in destiny."

**xxx**

(A/N: OOOookay so everyone knows my English isn't that brilliant... I just wanted to say that if I keep making a mistake over and over again, please do not hesitate to tell me, because all your help will be appreciated and hopefully it will eventually show too!^^)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yay quick updates! I'm in such a writing mood! :D Hope this chapter isn't too boring, I promise you wont have to wait that much longer until Sora sloooowly but surely will start to catch on.. ;)))

**xxx**

Eyebrows furrowed tightly together, Riku threw his messenger bag angrily on the floor, having finally made his way home from school. Nothing was working out, although he himself was as much to blame as anyone else. Actually, aside from the apparently mutual feelings Sora and Kairi shared for each other, a hell of a lot had been up to Riku, and he just kept blowing up his chances one after another.

The silveret sighed loudly as he sat down on his bed, holding his head in his hands, staring down at the silvery strands of hair hanging down. How could he have been so naïve? To actually think things would go as he predicted them to? Like there actually was such a thing as predicting that brunet and his thoughts.

Somehow, he had thought that Sora would confess his feelings to Kairi as soon as they returned to Destiny Islands. In fact, he was so surprised when nothing happened that he started believing the brunet may had lost interest in the girl. When the two just kept acting like always before, Riku had felt less threatened by Kairi though he knew she still liked Sora. Still, the silveret had concluded it would be the best for him to keep a slow pace and maybe try to figure out what Sora thought of gay people in the first place, before blurting out that he indeed had developed feelings for the brunet.

Riku laughed bitterly at his own stupidity. Kairi was cleverer than him, but then again, she did also have an obvious advantage. She was a girl, and that meant it would seem only natural for her to like Sora. Riku on the other hand wasn't expected to like Sora, a boy.

Whoever had to deem homosexuality as such a crime and sin? Whatever homosexuality had to do with love, anyway? Love isn't about genitals and how they fit together; love is something between two minds, two hearts and how they connect to each other.

If someone only had told him that before the trio had left the island in a search for other worlds. Thinking about how oblivious he himself had been back then did nothing to brighten up his already ruined day. The day when he had tried offering Sora a paopu fruit before brushing the event off as a joke when Sora didn't accept it? Just like he did about the race, who would be allowed to share the fruit with Kairi. God, what was with him and the jokes? And why did it still take him a year after that to realize he wasn't envious of Sora?

Giving into darkness and what not, being so blindly convinced by himself that Sora was turning against him and trying to claim Kairi as his own. It really had to take him that long to realize he wasn't envious of Sora for being liked by Kairi - he was envious of Kairi, and more than that, he felt betrayed by the brunet boy, his best friend. Riku had had a hard time accepting, that Sora actually liked someone else more than he liked Riku.

And the fact that he himself liked Sora in more than one way, was something he didn't learn about himself before Castle Oblivion, after having had a conversation with Naminé. It really had felt as if someone lifted a huge burden off his shoulders, though. It made complete sense to him, and it was as though an inner battle between his heart and his mind had finally ceased.

Riku's eyes wandered off to a small, white plastic can placed upon his nightstand. He wasn't going to have a single moment of sleep during the incoming nights without those.

**xxx**

School had never been a problem for Riku. In fact, he would have been infinitely happy and thankful if school would have been the biggest problem he was having at the moment.

Seeing Sora and Kairi holding hands at school, getting all close and cute was only one of the great problems he was having at the moment, making his insides boil. He wanted to thrust the redhead away from her boyfriend's arms and ask her what the hell she was thinking. Of course, on the surface, Riku would appear perfectly calm and collected, like he always would, even though he felt like exploding from jealousy and anger like he did at the moment. What other choice did he have really, if he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Sora for good?

Keeping up his cool façade, he approached his friends, Tidus and Selphie in addition to the duo in love. How he hated saying it like that; duo in love. Ugh.

"Hi guys." The silveret greeted his friends, trying to form some kind of smile on his face.

The others greeted him happily, and to Riku's great relief, Sora untangled himself from Kairi. At least he wasn't being completely ignored.

"Hi Riku!" Sora greeted with a big grin, skipping happily over to his best friend. Usually, it was almost impossible to keep a straight face when the brunet was smiling like an idiot, but today, it just made Riku all the more angry, seeing that his reason for smiling like he did was most probably the redhead only a few steps behind him.

The silveret glanced over in the direction of Kairi, to see that stupid smile gracing her features as well. How he wished he could wipe that one out.

The redhead seemed to pick up on the look her friend was giving, making her protectively walk up next to Sora and slip her hand into his again, and finally matching the silveret's glare with one of her own. Riku knew, that Kairi knew. He just hoped she felt threatened enough by him not to tell Sora anything before Riku had the chance.

"Hey Tidus, wanna go drinkin' next Friday again, ya?" Came a shout from behind, which the silveret easily recognized as Wakka's voice.

Tidus perked up, a small, excited laugh passing his lips as he turned towards the approaching man with orange hair.

"You bet!" He answered daringly, grinning widely. "Where are we gonna head? The beach?"

"I finally got around doing the rest of the unpacking at my apartment, so I was thinking we could celebrate at my house?" Wakka suggested. He was the only one who no longer lived with his parents.

"Are you serious?" The dirty blonde boy asked excitedly, receiving a goodhearted laugh from his older friend.

"Yea man, I am. I was thinking about inviting some dudes from the bilitzball team, too. And maybe some of the cheerleader girls.." He said, winking at Tidus whose eyes widened, before he let out an overtly manly laugh and knocked his fist against Wakka's.

"You guys are invited as well." The orange haired blitzballer added in the general direction of the others – Riku, Selphie, Sora and Kairi.

The silveret was the first one to react.

"I'll come, sounds like fun." He said, and finally managed a somewhat genuine smile. Having turned eighteen only weeks ago, he felt like it was time to enjoy what being of legal age had to offer. It wasn't like he wanted to stay at home, getting infinitely frustrated by Sora and Kairi's relationship.

"You're going, Riku?" He heard a familiar voice ask, turning to see a pair of deep blue hues staring at him. The brunet looked surprised.

"Of course I'm going. After all, I don't have a girlfriend to get all cuddly with on Friday nights." He replied to his friend and secretly loved one, trying to sound funny, but sounding somewhat more akin to bitter.

"Oh." Was all he got from his brunet friend, whose cheeks had gained a sheer tint of pink. His innocent mind probably hadn't even advanced to the stage of realizing that in relationships, you're bound to do something more than hug or hold hands.

Riku sighed, mentally smacking himself in the face for Sora being so… He couldn't find words for it. He was both stupid and cute at the same time for being so completely lost in matters of love. Maybe he just lived so much in the moment that he never worried about tomorrow and what tomorrow would bring along.

Much unlike his silver haired friend, who constantly kept calculating the possible consequences of his doings, trying to make sure there would be no room for mistakes.

"I wanna go, too." Sora finally blurted out after a while of silence, surprising his older friend.

Even his girlfriend turned to face him, looking confused at the sudden decision.

"Yeah!" The brunet said, sounding more confident now and smiling again, gazing from the purple eyes of his girlfriend into the piercing aquamarine of the silveret in front of him. "Come on Kairi, let's both go!"

"You're underage." Riku said sceptically, not completely fond of the idea to have a possibly nice night ruined by having to watch his beloved in the arms of someone else.

"What, Tidus is underage as well. Since when do you care?" Kairi asked, giving the silveret a suspicious look.

Riku looked back into the deep indigo eyes of the girl talking, picking up on the sardonical vibes she was giving off. He knew that he was in no place to fight or argue now.

"See you on Friday then." The silveret said in a last attempt to sound friendly enough, when he wanted nothing more than to punch the girl's face in. He took the boiling of his blood as a cue to leave before something in his brains would snap and he'd actually start acting on his feelings.

Things were just playing out so horribly as of late.

**xxx**

"Why is he walking off again…?" Sora wondered out loud, looking confused and slightly worried at the same time. Did Riku not want to hang out around them anymore? Maybe he thought they were too young and childish – after all, Riku was an adult now.

"Probably got up on the wrong foot in the morning." Kairi said offhandedly, dragging her boyfriend towards the lockers.

"Come on Sora, we've got to pick up our books before class." She said with a warm smile, catching the brunets attention, who apologetically smiled back at her.

"Right. Sorry, I keep forgetting about time." He apologized, scratching his head.

"It's okay, you know I like you the way you are." Kairi answered and dragged Sora flush against her body to lean up for a kiss. She couldn't help but smile, when her boyfriend protectively looped his hands around her waist and happily obliged to the kiss.

When their lips parted, Sora leaned his forehead against Kairi's, looking into the breathtaking, dark purple eyes of hers. The color sort of reminded him of the sky in the End of the World, beautiful and mysterious at the same time. It was hard for him to look away.

The redhaired girl looked right back into the eyes of her boyfriend, secretly feeling just the slightest torn at her heart for not being able to see anywhere beyond his blue eyes. As if his mind was somewhere far away, not there with hers. She tried to shake away the terrible feeling, turning around with a small smile to access their lockers instead.

"Here." She said, and handed the brunet his biology books.

"I have biology?" Sora cried out loud, his hands flying up to either side of his head. "Oh man, the teacher's gonna kill me for not doing the home-test we had to finish… Oh no, no, not again...!"

The brunet was burying his face in his hands, looking defeated and just slightly panicked. The redhead in front of him sighed, but a smile was tugging at her lips – some things about Sora just never changed.

"I can give you mine, since I actually took the time and finished it last week." She said, digging for the paper in her bag. She couldn't help but feeling proud and useful, when she saw her boyfriends face lighten up at her words.

"Really, Kairi? You're gonna let me have your test?" He said in disbelief, eyes sparkling like a puppy's who just found its master.

"Yup. But only this time." Kairi replied promptly with a confident smile, which melted into a giggle when she saw the brunet almost in tears of joy.

"You saved my life, Kairi! I have no idea how I'm gonna repay this favour to you..."

"You don't have to, Sora." She said kindly, waving at the boy and heading towards her next class.

"I gave it to you because I wanted to." The redhead added with a wink, before rushing off to the chemistry classroom.

"Thanks, Kairi." Sora mumbled into the air, watching her disappear into one of the classrooms in the hallway.

Realizing he might get himself into trouble for being late, the brunet sped into a run, making it just in time before class would begin.

Biology. The brunet groaned loudly while slumping down in his seat.

Now why had he rushed, again?

**xxx**

When lunch time finally arrived, Sora was disappointed to once again not find his silveret friend joining the rest of them. Wakka was missing as well. Maybe they had class together and the teacher just decided to be an ass and keep them overtime?

But it had been the same yesterday. The blitzball player did hang out with his friends from the team every now and then, so it wasn't such an unusual thing for him to be missing at times. But Riku? Why did he suddenly start hanging out so much with Wakka? Or was he even hanging out with Wakka? And why wasn't he answering the brunet's text messages, asking him where he was and why he wasn't joining everyone else at lunch.

"Aww Sora, don't worry too much about Riku. I'm sure he just enjoys hanging out with the older guys once in a while – after all, they are of his age, we're not." Selphie tried to cheer her friend from across the table, poking his legs with her feet.

"But why now?" Sora argued, a hint of sadness gracing his youthful features. "He just started avoiding us so suddenly, it… Ever since I told him about me and Kairi he hasn't been the same. Is he jealous?"

Kairi almost choked on her food, followed by a few coughs. The rest of the table seemed to perk up.

"Jealous? Of Sora? Oh my! Riku is jealous!" Selphie squealed, putting down her fork on the table with a loud 'clunk'. She turned her forest green eyes towards Kairi. "Did you hear? I think Riku might like you as well!"

The red haired girl tried to force a smile to her face, but it felt very strained. No one else really seemed to know, though, she couldn't blame them. Riku was very skilled in hiding his intentions.

"Haha… Well, I don't think Riku likes me." She said, trying modest and genuine.

"Oh come on Kairi, isn't it pretty obvious?" Tidus exclaimed, throwing his free hand in the air. "Sora does have a point with him being avoidant and all, and it seems very evident to me that he's just jealous, having lost you to his best friend and rival Sora, you know."

Kairi squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, unsure what to say. She didn't want to blurt out about Riku's secret, at least not yet when she and Sora were at such an early stage in their relationship. The redhead felt a bit mean for thinking the way she did, but in love and war any methods were allowed, weren't they? She didn't want to go losing what she had so long dreamed of and only just obtained, and she was pretty convinced Riku would have been thinking the same in her situation.

"I don't know…" She mumbled, her uncertainty sounding more like shyness.

Sora looped his arm around her waist, pulling her slightly closer.

"Well, Riku will just have to live with it." Sora announced proudly, making the redhead sigh in relief. The boy really knew how to save her from troublesome situations.

"Haha, that's the attitude, Sora!" Tidus laughed encouragingly, then returning to his meal with newfound hunger.

Moments later, a pair of familiar voices somewhere at a distance, caught Sora's attention. He gazed up at the entrance to the dining hall, finding the two missing guys walking in, laughing at something together. Riku looked very happy and somehow adult, when he hung out with Wakka. The brunet immediately started to reconsider his jealousy-theory. The silveret simply looked like he had found someone and some place he belonged. Sora couldn't help but feeling like a stupid kid for thinking that Riku would actually have been jealous of him. Maybe that's what drove him away from the brunet – maybe he was getting fed up with Sora always wanting to be better and please everyone, instead of just letting go and… whatever. The thought of losing his best friend tore at the brunet's heart.

The silveret's eyes finally found the table Sora and the others were sitting at, and realizing that his older friend was now headed towards them, the brunet felt his heart jump into his throat and he quickly averted his gaze.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Sora prayed in his mind that no one would mention his stupid theory of Riku being jealous of him. If someone did, he might just die from mortification.

"Hello, guys." Riku said when he was close enough for the others to have spotted him. The others greeted him in unision – as Sora probably would've done as well, if he hadn't been busy trying to calm his loudly beating heart down.

Riku cast a surprised glace at his brunet best friend, wondering why the boy was being so silent. Usually, he was the most cheerful and noisy one, if Selphie hadn't gone high on sugar.

"Hey, Riku!" Tidus suddenly said, pulling the tall silveret closer from his sleeve, receiving a confused look from his target.

"You've started smoking, haven't you?" He continued, making almost inaudible sniffing sounds.

Riku laughed, a surprised expression plastered on his face.

"No I haven't, why do you care?" The silveret chuckled, backing down a few steps but trying to seem innocent nonetheless.

Sora's attention was immediately caught, and he turned around to see his friend standing next to him.

If Riku was the slightest affected by the look his crush was giving him, he didn't let it show. He just shrugged it off and told the others he would go grab some lunch.

Once again, he disappeared, and didn't return to the table.

**xxx**

(A/N: Dum di dum... Sooooraaa... Hello, don't be so oblivious! R&R please!^^)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wohoo, I actually have the whole story planned out already 8D *proud* Nevermind that I actually had to finish a sort of final art work thingey this weekend and the portfolio that is supposed to go with it... But how is it my fault that inspiration always strikes whenever I have something very important to do? : Sooo, without further due, I BRING TO YOU! Chapter 3!^^

**xxx**

"_Why are you avoiding me, Riku? Or is it someone else from the group, or all of us? Please say something, I'm worried…_"

Sora contemplated for what seemed like ten minutes at least before finally deciding he had to know what had gotten into his best friend. Tomorrow, they were all supposed to go to Wakka's party, but the thought of being ignored by Riku throughout the night made his stomach scrunch with uncertainty. With a last check for spelling errors, he pressed the send button before he could stop himself and be forced to live with the tormenting worry for even longer.

It had been three days since the brunet and Kairi had confessed to each other and ever since, their silveret friend kept growing more distant. At first, Sora wanted to think he would eventually come around, that it was better to give Riku the space he needed. But he wasn't so sure of it any longer. At the rate his silver haired friend kept neglecting his best friends, it probably wouldn't take long before Sora and the rest would be completely out of his life. Even the mere thought scared Sora.

Back when traveling between the different words, finding out about Kingdom Hearts, fighting for his friends had seemed like such a simple thing. All it came down to was to grab the keyblade and make sure none of the bad creatures would have a chance to lay a finger on either Kairi or Riku. But now, it was completely different. Sora hated waiting, and now, all he could do was wait. He couldn't grab the keyblade and remove the problems – whatever they were – he just had to wait. Trying to coax something out from his best friend wasn't working as of yet, either.

The brunet kept tossing around in his bed that afternoon. Kairi and Selphie had gone shopping for the party, and that left Sora alone and with nothing else to do than worry about his best friend becoming so distant. He checked his phone what seemed like every two minutes, even though the phone wasn't on mute and he surely would hear the beep if he received a message from Riku. Still, what if maybe there was something wrong with the phone and he simply wasn't receiving any messages or calls his best friend was trying to make?

"As if…" The brunet muttered moodily into the silence of his room.

Was it really too much asked to at least have a reply from that bastard? Even if it was just an '_I hate you and wish for you to burn in hell for the rest of your life_' or something. At least he would know that it was a lost case and he wouldn't have to worry himself nearly to death.

After having waited for at least fifteen minutes longer, receiving nothing from his friend, the brunet decided he had to do something – _anything –_ or he would go crazy from just waiting. With no one to call and hang out with, the boy opted for going to the beach for a walk to clear his mind from all the thoughts that haunted him. He wanted to be able to be happy now – why was it that as soon as he gained one thing, he had to lose another?

With his lower lip pouting, Sora rose from his bed to retirieve his mp3 player from his schoolbag. There was nothing like music to take you away when the world was showing its less pleasant side. Shoving the player into his pocket, the brunet dragged himself downstairs. Not even his mother was home yet – what was with everyone being gone when he needed them for once?

Sighing, the boy put on an orange hoodie, before heading outside, plugging the earphones of his mp3 player into his ears. A soft, cool breeze welcomed him as he stepped outside, reminding him that winter was soon arriving. Of course, since they lived on such a tropical island, the temperature would seldom drop below fifteen degrees Celsius, there would be no snow. But the days were becoming shorter and the nights longer. It usually rained during the winter, too. The brunet was thankful for a completely clear sky at the moment.

Once arriving at the shore, Sora dug for his phone again, thinking that Riku might had been able to finally form a decent message explaining at least something. Unlocking the screen, the brunet found that there indeed was still no message from his friend. His chocolate colored eyebrows furred together into a frown, as he flipped his phone shut and put the stupid thing back in his pocket.

"Riku's such a jerk!" He whined silently, though it sounded quite weird to himself, having music playing in his ears and all.

A few seconds passed before his earphones were suddenly tugged out of his ears, making the brunet boy swirl around almost defensively, only to meet the bright aquamarine eyes of his friend. Who looked pretty tired and worn out, enhanced by the slightly angry look he was giving Sora.

"I heard that." Riku said simply, letting go of the earphones he had been holding onto.

Feeling a small pang of guilt in his heart for calling his best friend a jerk, the brunet was about to apologize before remembering that he had every reason to be in a sulky mood.

"Oh yeah? But I never heard your explanation for suddenly starting to avoid me!" Sora whined, a sad and offended expression gracing his facial features. Now there was no running away for Riku – the brunet would get the truth, even if he had to go running after him.

"I've just been sitting here for almost half an hour, trying to think of how to reply to your text." The silveret replied, his intense, unfaltering gaze fixed upon Sora, making the teen feel slightly self-conscious.

"What's there to think about? Just tell me what's wrong!" The brunet insisted, his offensiveness melting into despair. Why was Riku hesitating, like there was something to hide?

His older friend ran a hand through his hair, averting his gaze to look over the ocean, while a small sigh passed his lips. The silveret bit his lip, still not saying a word.

"…Well?" Sora pursued his friend further, taking a few steps forward so that he was now standing closer to the silveret.

The familiar pair of aquamarine eyes darted back, watching the confused boy looking both sad and hopeful at the same time. Riku absently raised his hand to his chin, trying desperately to figure out what he was going to tell Sora. The truth? That was out of question, like pretty much everything else he had come up with since he learned about Kairi and Sora. It had to be something that not only excused his behaviour for the three days that had already passed – it had to be something that excused him to stay away from the couple in the future as well.

Riku cleared his throat, opting for the only explanation that would fulfill both requirements, even though he sensed that revealing this little piece of information might lead to some very unpredictable consequences.

"Well, I guess I could start by saying that this has nothing to do with you. If it was up to me, I'd prefer to hang around you like always before." He stated simply, eyeing his friend from behind the silver bangs that covered part of his face.

Sora's confusion seemed to grow even greater, but before he had time to open his mouth and ask more questions the silveret would rather not answer, Riku continued.

"I don't like Kairi." The young man declared curtly, hands crossed over his chest.

Sora's eyes widened. Just as Riku had presumed, the brunet had never realized his two best friends actually weren't such good friends at all. Of course, as teenagers, both of them had been too overwhelmed with everything that went with being a teenager to realize what feelings they were having and why. By the time the three of them had returned to the island though, it had become pretty obvious. Riku was jealous of Kairi for receiving so much attention from Sora, whereas Kairi didn't want the silveret to interfere with anything going on between her and the brunet.

"What are you saying, Riku?" Sora exclaimed, taking his friend by surprise as he grabbed the silveret's wrist to gain his attention. "We're best friends, me, you and Kairi!"

"No, Sora, we're not. You're Kairi's boyfriend now and I'm your friend. There's nothing more to it, trust me." The silveret explained, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop an oncoming headache.

"What…? Riku, what happened? Why are you and Kairi not friends anymore?" The brunet persisted, looking completely crestfallen, like a piece of his perfect world had now been removed.

If there was anything the silveret wanted to do at the moment, it was to just hold Sora close to him. To tell him that he was loved and the only reason for his own insecurity was simply that he didn't know just how much he was loved. Kairi loved him, and Riku doubted there was anything less sincere about her feelings than his. But there was something between himself and the little brunet that just made it impossible for him to lose hope, even now when Kairi had already won Sora over. There was something with looking into those dark blue eyes that looked like the night sky, which made the silveret feel like no words were needed between them. It made him feel certain, that somewhere deep inside Sora was just as aware as he himself that they shared something special, something that was realer and truer than anything else he was ever going to share with anyone. Like an invisible thread hanging in the air, connecting them to each other.

"Sora…" The silveret sighed for probably the twentieth time, exhausted from a long day of self-control to the fullest. "Just don't ask; you'll understand eventually. I don't feel like going into depths about this. I've told you the truth and I hope it wasn't for nothing."

Riku brushed past Sora, on his way to leave the beach and head home. He wanted nothing more than to just sleep the rest of the day away, since he had gained some sleep deprivation which made the days passing by seem just that much heavier. Besides, a good night sleep could prove useful for tomorrow – he didn't exactly want to be the first one to pass out during the party because of his lack of sleep.

"Riku, wait!" He heard his brunet friend shout from behind him, rushing up next to the silveret. The older teen slowed down his steps, letting the brunet catch him.

"Riku!" Sora insisted, stepping in front of his friend to stop him from moving further, receiving a confused look from the man in front of him. "You said you'd like to hang out with me like before… Did you really mean that?"

The look his friend was giving him made a small smile creep onto the silveret's lips, as his glare softened. He raised a hand to ruffle the brunet's hair, who did – like always, blush at the gesture.

"Hey!" He cried, trying to push away his older friend's hand.

Riku laughed good-heartedly.

"Yes, I did really mean it." He replied to his younger friend, continuing to walk since they were both headed the same way.

"Um… Would you like to hang out with me some day, then? Just the two of us." Sora asked in a hopeful tone, trying to keep up the silveret's fast pace while at the same time making attempts at eye contact.

Glancing in the direction of his friend, Riku felt a small tingle of hope flutter in his stomach.

"Of course I would, Sora. Any time you're free."

**xxx**

Later that evening, the brunet was sitting on his bed with his cell phone in his hands. Kairi and Selphie should have returned from shopping by now. Still, Sora hadn't found the courage to call her. He wanted to ask his girlfriend if what Riku had told him was true – that the two of them, the silveret and Kairi, really weren't friends anymore. The brunet had already spent hours trying to figure out what on earth could have gone so wrong to separate the inseparable.

Had it been like this for a long while already? Why hadn't Sora ever noticed anything, unless the two of them were deliberately hiding the fact from him – and why on earth would they do that? The brunet couldn't help but feel slightly offended by the thought – was he really not a friend they trusted enough to tell such things? Seeing that Riku had already made it clear he wouldn't want to discuss the matter further with Sora, it only left his girlfriend to ask.

Now determined to find out what was going on, and why it was going on behind his back, the brunet picked Kairi's number from the list, and pressed call. After a few beeps, a girlish voice greeted him.

"Hi, Sora." Kairi said.

"Good evening, Kairi." The brunet said, smiling widely into the phone, not realizing the redhead wouldn't be able to see any of it. "How did the shopping with Selphie go?"

"Should I say it went well for me, but not for my wallet?" The girl laughed, earning a few chuckles from her boyfriend as well. "I found a bunch of nice things, yeah. We even found a new store; it was located where the jewelery store used to be, if you remember."

Eyebrows furrowing in an attempt to recall, the brunet made humming sounds into the phone before exclaiming. "Oh yeah, next to the toy store! Yes, I remember."

"Yeah." Kairi giggled.

"So… Do I get to see your new clothes tomorrow?" Sora asked, mainly to sound interested and caring even though he in reality was just slightly curious.

"What do you think I went shopping for?" She answered teasingly, but sounding like she appreciated her boyfriend's curiosity nonetheless. "Of course you will."

A short while of silence passed, and the brunet took it as a cue to utter the question he had been waiting to ask.

"Uhm… I ran into Riku today on the beach." Sora began, feeling his heart beat a tad faster. "He told me you two aren't friends anymore. Is it true?"

In her room, Kairi felt like a noose around her heart just tightened a deal. _Riku told Sora_? The bastard actually didn't even have the decency to let things settle at least the slightest before starting a fight? What the hell was he planning now, anyway? The redhead was convinced that the silveret was just as aware as she was that this piece of information was going to hurt Sora.

Kairi bit her lip, uncertain what to answer and how to react. Did Riku seriously not care if he hurt Sora, just in order to win the boy over? How far was he willing to go? The thought made the redhead feel nauseous.

"…Kairi? Are you there?" She heard her boyfriend ask, startling her out of her thoughts. The redhead winced slightly at the worried tone of Sora's voice.

"Well… I-I guess it's true." Kairi laughed uncomfortably, not knowing what more to say. How very nice from the silveret to lead Sora onto something, but leaving all of the explaining for Kairi to do.

"_Thanks a lot, asshole…_" Kairi thought darkly to herself.

"But why, Kairi? What happened between you two?" The worried Sora persisted, making the redhead hate Riku even more. He really knew how to piss Kairi off, whether he was doing it intentionally or not.

"I'm not really sure, Sora…" Kairi began, sighing into the phone. "We sort of just... Grew apart after returning to Destiny Islands having defeated Kingdom Hearts and all that, I guess." She finished, pleased with how simple she had made it sound – when in reality, there was nothing simple about the whole story.

"Oh. Okay…" Sora mumbled into the phone, sounding a bit sad but accepting the explanation anyway.

"Don't worry too much about it, Sora." The redhead cheered, doing her best in an attempt to sound like it wasn't such a big deal. "It's not like we hate each other, we just find it better to keep a slight distance."

"But why did you both keep it a secret for so long? Why didn't you just tell me?" The brunet questioned, sounding as lost as ever.

Kairi felt like throwing her cell phone into the wall. Just how much longer was she supposed to sit there and lie to her boyfriend just to save that stupid Riku's ass? Teeth gritted tightly together, she inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"We didn't think it was such a great deal, you know." She said in a soothing tone, even though her face was red from anger. Sometimes she was just endlessly happy that the brunet couldn't see her face over the phone. "It's not like we were trying to hide it from you or anything, please don't think that."

"Really...? Okay, I guess I understand." Sora said, finally sounding a bit more confident and happier. "Thanks a lot, Kairi. I feel relieved now, knowing that you weren't deliberately going behind my back. I don't see why Riku refused to tell me this, though…"

Kairi let out a small laugh, which unfortunately ended short. The noose around her heart tightened further, when she suddenly realized why Riku hadn't explained anything to Sora.

He was apparently planning on telling the truth.

"Me neither. Maybe he was having a bad day or something." The redhead concluded, feeling slightly guilty for keeping the truth from Sora, even though she knew that it was better for everyone.

The brunet chuckled slightly, making Kairi smile at the sound of his laugh. If Sora was happy, then everything was alright. Besides, she wouldn't have to pretend around Riku anymore, which meant one less thing for her to worry about in her everyday life.

"Yeah, maybe." Sora finally said. "I'm gonna head for a shower now." He suddenly declared, being the easily distracted boy he was.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Kairi said with a now genuine smile on her lips, thankful for Sora being such a forgiving and understanding person. No wonder he was liked by so many.

"Yeah! See you at school. I love you Kairi, and good night. And thanks again." The brunet said happily.

"Don't mention it, Sora. I love you too. Bye!"

"Bye bye, Kairi!"

**xxx**

(A/N: I had planned to include THHHHE FRIDAY in this chapter but it turned longer than I expected so I left Friday for next chapter... Ohoho! My favourite Friday, the day when everything will begin...! Oh boy oh boy I'm probably more excited than any of you LOLLL xDDDDDD)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: ERMM… I had to fix the days in the previous chapter, since I realized Thursday ISN'T four days from Monday… -.- (Higher math, what a joke I am…..) Anyway… SOOO, to get this clear for everyone confused by my inability to count days, Sora and Kairi got together Monday, last chapter was about Thursday, and NOOOOOOOOOOOW…. the Friday we've been waiting for! PARTEY~~

Also, I think the word '_silveret_' belongs to Katraa, and I'm sorry for using it so freely since I never realized it isn't a real word. XD C'mon, there's brunet and redhead and blonde and everything... I couldn't tell the difference... So uh, all credit goes to her! And I'm gonna selfishly continue using it because I don't know how to manage without it…! ;_;

And sorry for the incredible wait... To make up for it – a more interesting and longer chapter for youuuu!

**xxx**

Friday had finally arrived, and most certainly it had not arrived in silence. The amount of discussion a certain dirty blonde boy could bring up from such a simple event as a party, was unbelievable sometimes. Lunch break had included very much close to nothing else but Tidus's rants about Friday during the past few days. The silveret was already growing sick of it, and thanked heavens that the day of the event had come, so the party could be over and done with.

Except, the worst part would come along only after having survived the night. The blonde was most likely going to be gossiping about everything that had happened during tonight for the incoming two weeks. He was completely hopeless.

"So guys, have you decided what to drink?" An overly excited Tidus asked, leaning over the lunch table where everyone except the host of the party were seated at. "I was thinking about topping off the beer with some salmiak vodka."

"Tidus! You're not gonna need all of that!" Selphie scolded her friend, giving him a stern look which the boy easily brushed off.

The expectant eyes of the boy turned to his other friends, starting with Kairi, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Cider, probably." She said, paying more attention to the brunet sitting next to her, smiling at him as he draped his arm over her shoulders with a smile of his own.

"You?" Tidus inquired the chocolate brown haired boy, who hadn't realized the previously mentioned question was now directed at him.

"Oh, me?" He said in a surprised tone, rubbing the back of his head. "Uhm… I've never drank before, so…"

"You've never been drunk before?" Tidus exclaimed while slamming his palm into the table, startling everyone with his sudden outburst.

Selphie shushed the boy, who finally had the decency to calm himself down a bit before continuing.

"Sorry, didn't mean to shout. But really now, Sora?" He said, trying to keep his voice at a normal level.

The brunet boy, who looked slightly appalled by his friend's ferocious temper, pleadingly glanced at the others at the table, hoping that someone would make him feel less lost.

Kairi was the first one to defend her boyfriend.

"Geez Tidus, some people just don't think life is all about getting drunk." She said defensively, glancing at the brunet who indeed seemed a bit relieved by her interfering with their discussion.

From the other side of the table, piercing aquamarine eyes were watching the young boy, a small smirk plastered on his face. What else had he expected to hear from the mouth of such a clueless boy like Sora? It was really surprising the brunet had even decided to come to the party at all. Day by day, the silveret was growing to like the idea of having his brunet friend at the party. Maybe the night wasn't going to be completely terrible, unless he'd walk in on Sora and Kairi making out somewhere.

For God's sake, that was one thought he _really_ did not want to continue further with.

"I know what's perfect for beginners like you." Riku said confidently, locking his gaze with the dark blue eyes staring wonderingly back at him. "Just go for some vodka and soda to mix it with. Doesn't taste too bad and you wont have drink much."

Sora's expression seemed even more relieved now, and the brunet was thankful for having a friend who didn't fail to help him with anything ever. Riku was almost like his older brother – except he was so likeable, that he wouldn't have fit for a brother.

Sora had felt really uncertain about drinking, since he had never even tasted alcohol before – but he trusted Riku's judgement and somehow it felt safe to drink after all, since he would be choosing something that had received the silveret's stamp of approval.

That's when the actual problem crept into his mind.

"But…" Sora said, squirming a bit in his chair. "How am I gonna get it?"

The brunet didn't exactly feel like going through his parent's liqueur cabinet, more out of simple respect than the fear of getting caught. Though the thought of getting caught wasn't a pleasant one at that, either…

"I'll get you something." The silveret replied offhandedly, and gave his friend a quick, subtle smile that the brunet barely had time to notice.

Yep, Riku would literally help Sora with anything. The brunet offered his friend a bright smile, uttering a 'Thank you' as he watched his best friend get up from his seat and leave.

The silver haired man cast the brunet a final glance before bidding his friends at the table goodbye, his eyes tracing the line of Sora's jaw to those soft, peachy lips which were curved into a shy but happy smile. The lips he had had the privilege of ravishing more than once in his nightly dreams… Not like he wanted to remember those _now_.

Riku held back a sigh as he took his leave, convinced that him being able to play "best friends" with Sora would fail in just a matter of time. The silveret sincerely had no idea for how much longer he could keep his stupid façade up, and just for how much longer he was planning to torture himself. He had to get at least a hint, somehow.

Pretending like nothing was out of normal in front of Sora sometimes hurt him more than the fact that his love interest was in fact in a relationship with someone else. It also made him all the more restless, knowing that maybe he had a chance on the brunet, if he'd only manage to bring up the topic. The optimistic part of him wanted to believe that the perfect opportunity had yet to come, while the more pessimistic part of him sourly declared that his adventures in different worlds must have turned him irreversibly mad for even thinking he'd have a chance.

Feeling discouraged by his pessimistic thoughts, Riku moodily threw his cutlery in a basket filled with dirty forks and knives, and angrily shoved his tray into the pile next to the dirty plates.

Sometimes he just couldn't help but feel he held his expectations way too high. If, through some kind of miracle, Sora actually harboured some kind of feelings towards Riku, he most probably would have already confessed. It just didn't seem like the brunet to hide away and pretend.

It was something only Riku himself would do, because unlike Sora, he was afraid of getting rejected.

**xxx**

Five hours later, the silveret entered his room, dumping a bag filled with alcoholic beverage of different sorts, and slumping down on his bed.

"_Sora and Kairi could have gotten these themselves… Nobody even bothered to ask me for my ID at the store_." Riku thought sullenly to himself, starting to pick out the bottles and cans from the plastic bag.

Running a hand through his hair, the silveret cast a glance at the clock, realizing he was supposed to be at Wakka's house in a few hours. Wasting no time wondering, he headed for a hot shower, hoping the warm water could wash away some of his sulky mood as well.

Fortunately, by the time the silveret was full clad and ready to leave for the party, his spirits had rose and he felt okay again. Having packed all of the drinks into his messenger bag, Riku headed for the hallway to put on his shoes.

He wanted to believe that tonight would turn out well. There was nothing he needed more right now than friends and getting wild. Sure, there was Sora, but he wasn't going to get any of him, which meant he needed other things to occupy himself with. He needed something else to think about.

Standing in front of the hallway mirror, the silveret checked his clothing one last time and made sure he had everything he needed. He had opted for a black turtleneck sleeveless shirt, with a zipper he found more decorative than useful, and a pair of faded jeans. A black sweatband graced his pale wrist.

Riku quickly brushed his hair and wrote a note to his parents before he left. The sun was already beginning to set, and a cold breeze tickled his skin as the silveret set a pace towards Wakka's house. Lighting a cigarette, he smiled slightly to no one in particular, eyes gazing up at the sky.

The sky, just like Sora, was everywhere.

It took the silveret only about twenty minutes to arrive at the blitzball player's house. As he entered, Wakka, Selphie and Tidus were all there to greet him – it seemed like Sora and Kairi had yet to arrive. Feeling too good at the moment to really care, Riku began mixing his drink as soon as he got settled, Selphie following him eagerly, being the easily amused person she was.

The silveret couldn't help but laugh at the girl's occasional comments of surprise and slight disgust (vodka surely wasn't her thing), happy to have someone to distract him. Maybe it was okay to live like this, to just let things remain the way they were. After all, everyone seemed happy.

"Riku! You should totally come and check out this game I found!" Selphie went on, tugging the silveret's arm in the direction of the room where the computer was located, making him almost spill some of the bubbling liquid in his glass.

"Careful now, Selphie!" He laughed, but followed her suit. Knowing his friend, it was probably one of those simple and overly cute games you could play for free on the internet – but he didn't really mind the silliness of those right now. He just wanted to loosen up a little.

**xxx**

Half an hour later, after almost drowning in tears when laughing at Selphie's non-existent gaming talent and her furious rants when the game wouldn't obey her, the sound of the doorbell drew the attention of the two friends seated at the computer.

Hearing familiar voices coming from the hallway, Riku made his way out of the bedroom to indeed find the newly declared pair he expected to meet.

Only, he didn't quite expect to have to struggle to cover his surprise at the clothing his secretly beloved brunet boy was wearing. He wore light blue, faded jeans that snugly traced the outline of his legs, displaying his slightly girly features without being too tight to actually look girly. His shirt was white and seemed to be made out of a thinner, no doubted very soft fabric, which still wasn't transparent by any means. Around his neck he wore the crown necklace Riku knew the brunet had grown a liking to, and a smaller chain was fastened loosely around his wrist.

Tonight it definitely felt appropriate to conclude that everything about the small brunet just screamed seduction.

Swallowing thickly, hoping he managed to pull off a relatively normal look, Riku approached his friends and handed over the plastic bag he had been holding.

"Something for you." He said absently with a small smile, mentally fighting the unusually strong urge to stand there ogling over his absolutely molestable little crush.

God, why did Sora always have to remind him exactly why he was so delicious to fantasize about?

And why did the dangers of drinking in the presence of his secret crush strike him only now? The silveret intensely prayed that he wasn't going to get into the mood of making any embarrassing confessions tonight.

_Heaven forbid such things from happening_, the silveret thought to himself, shivering inwardly at the mere thought.

Sora joyously accepted the bag, immediately digging for his bottle of vodka, inspecting just what kind of liquid he would have to blame if tonight wasn't going to end in peace. He eyed the bottle curiously, surprised by the fact that it looked nothing different from water. Suddenly suspicious that his silveret friend was trying to pull off some kind of joke on him, Sora carefully uncapped the bottle, glancing at Riku to see if he would protest – but, his older friend paid him no heed, so he completely removed the cap and sniffed the colourless liquid.

Quickly turning his head away in disgust, he wished he hadn't doubted the silveret's sincerity. Concluding it was _most probably_ the real stuff, he put the cap back on, making sure to hold the bottle far away from his nose. He tried not to think about the fact that he was actually going to drink the stuff tonight.

"Sora! Kairi!" Tidus shouted, jogging into the hallway with a beer in his hand, his movements seeming a little too slow to be entirely sober. "It's great you guys could come!"

"Why of course, Tidus!" Kairi laughed and gave their friend a slight shove, making the dirty blonde boy wobble on his feet, which made the redhead and her boyfriend only laugh more; sometimes it was pretty fun to be sober among drunk friends.

Kairi then excused herself and hurried to the fridge which wasn't very far away, opening it just to find that it was already packed with beer and other drinks. The redhead surveyed its insides sourly, before rearranging the bottles and cans a bit so that she could fit in her drinks as well.

A pair of hands surprised her as they sneaked around her waist, and a set of deep blue eyes peeked around her shoulder.

"Riku said he put my Sprite in here somewhere..." Sora mumbled, his eyes darting from one bottle to another, trying to spot his promised bottle of soda.

Suddenly, a larger hand extended from behind the couple, and pulled out a bottle of Sprite from one of the upper corners of the fridge. Sora turned to see whom he had to thank for finding his bottle – no one less than Riku himself, who smiled widely and handed over the soda to his brunet friend.

"Thanks!" Sora exclaimed and offered his friend a grin of his own.

Without further ado, he retrieved a glass from one of the cupboards and once again uncapped his bottle of terribly smelling vodka, suddenly unsure in what ratio to mix it with the soda. The brunet glanced at his girlfriend, only to find her chatting with Selphie and the one and only silver haired man.

With a sigh Sora decided it was probably safer to put too little of the vodka than too much. He poured a mere centimeter of the clear liquid into his glass, and proceeded to add the Sprite when he unexpectedly felt someone watching him from behind.

Stopping in midst his actions to glance behind him, he found his best friend standing there with an amused smirk gracing his lips. Innocent blue eyes met aquamarine for a second, before Riku reached out for the glass and took a sip of the newly mixed alcoholic beverage.

His smirk turned into a small laugh as he shook his head in disapproval.

"No way, Sora!" He said, pouring away half of the glass's contents into the sink, making the brunet yelp for having his treasured beverage poured down the drain.

"You're supposed to get drunk, even a girl could handle stronger stuff than that!" Riku explained, still smiling widely as he measured a good three centimeters additional vodka, before finally adding a little more soda and handing it to his brunet friend and crush. "There you go."

With a look of both uncertainty and hopefulness, Sora accepted the glass from his friend and slightly reluctantly took a tasting sip. At first, he didn't notice anything more than the small bubbles coming from the soda, but soon his eye twitched slightly and he scrunched his nose at the terrible after-taste.

Swallowing thickly, the brunet wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, and he was pretty convinced his face radiated a bit of both.

"Guh! Riku, this is really strong!" He complained with a hand reached before his mouth, but the hilarity of the situation made him grin widely nonetheless.

The silveret couldn't help but laugh as well, pinching his friend's cheek, making the brunet blush at the random gesture.

"Come on Sora, don't be a baby!" The silveret teased, removing his hand from the brunet's cheek after receiving a few complaining looks. Riku ruffled the chocolate brown locks of his secret object of desire, before making his way into the living room, leaving Sora with Kairi and Selphie in the kitchen.

**xxx**

A couple of hours later, people were gaining confidence from the effect of the alcohol, and the level of noise had increased somewhat. Sora had already managed to finish one glass of vodka and soda mixture – when pouring himself a new glass though, the brunet had made sure _not_ to add as much vodka as his silveret friend had.

At the moment, he was sitting in a sofa behind the kitchen counter with Kairi next to him, who tenderly held his hand as she chatted with Selphie, who seemed to prefer to stick to her redheaded friend now that Tidus was busy losing his money to the blitzball guys.

Indeed, and it had the guys roaring with laughter every time someone won or lost a bet. In addition to Tidus, there were three other guys seated at a small table in one corner of the living room. Some girls whose names Sora didn't even know, sat there close by, seemingly a bit amused by the boys and their behavior.

The brunet was too far away to hear exactly what they were betting over, as the overall chatter in the room was actually currently louder than Tidus himself – even when he was drunk, like now.

Sora gazed down at his glass, wondering where Riku might be at the moment, when in the corner of his eye, he noticed Tidus pointing in his general direction, shouting something.

"...I swear he's not!" Was all the brunet could make out from the dirty blonde's shouting, as the guys at the table were heatedly debating over what probably was a new bet. Tidus turned around to face his friends at the table for a moment, before turning back and shouting.

"Hey, Riku!" He said, making Sora turn around and realize the silveret had been standing right behind him at the kitchen counter all this time.

Blue eyes darted between the brunet's best friend who was currently mixing a drink, and the dirty blonde sitting with the biltzball guys.

"Tell them you're not gay!" Tidus complained loudly bashing his hand into the table, causing the level of noise in the room to go down at the very moment he uttered those words.

The silveret uncertainly rose his eyebrows in amusement, taking a casual sip of his drink, while everyone turned silent with curiosity and expectation. Only a few people were mature enough not to care and silently continued chatting, unaffected by the sudden silence.

Seconds seemed to turn into hours for the silveret trying to decide what kind of answer to give. He didn't really care about what anyone else thought, but _Sora_ was sitting right in front of him, and unfortunately he cared a whole damn lot what the brunet thought. Would it be too risky to tell the truth?

Unable to bring his thoughts to a conclusion, the silveret's mouth reacted before his brain had the time to.

"So what if I am?" Riku finally said with a growing smirk, leaning over the counter to comfortably survey the situation.

In reality, he was as far from comfortable as he could get and pretty much hated every second of what was happening. Despite that, he knew, that if he let his fear show, the situation would become even more uncomfortable. He glanced at Sora who was sitting still like a stone – maybe he wasn't even listening?

Somehow, Riku found himself wishing that the brunet indeed hadn't heard a word of what his best friend just said.

To the silveret's great relief though, his answer seemed to at least have been partly right, as the guys whom Tidus apparently had made a bet with, roared with laughter again and nudged the now fifteen dollars poorer dirty blonde in the shoulder. Too lost in his own mental panicking, Riku failed to notice the brown locks appearing from behind the counter, and a pair of sky blue eyes watching him wide open.

"Riku, what are you saying?" Sora wondered in shock, his voice being nothing more than a loud whisper.

Loud enough to reach the silveret's ears, though.

"I didn't say anything." He lied, nervously fidgeting and twisting his glass, refusing to look at the boy in front of him.

What the hell was he _supposed_ to say, anyway? He'd just confessed the truth for the entire room and if Sora couldn't accept it the first time, then why would he ever accept it? The silveret's rapidly beating heart became loud in his ears, as he realized this was actually going to turn as bad as he feared.

God, he should have just lied from the beginning... He didn't want to face Sora now.

For once, Riku felt unusually thankful for Kairi, who drew away the brunet's attention as she rose from her seat next to him and disappeared somewhere. The silveret wasted no time wondering, and took his opportunity to flee as well. He would rather have been faced with a gang of homophobic idiots than Sora, for the moment being.

Hell, for all he knew, Sora could be homophobic as well. It didn't seem like something the brunet would be, but with Riku's luck, he probably was, even against all odds.

The silveret headed into the hallway and spotted his pack of cigarettes on a small table next to the pile of shoes. He quickly fetched the package, and headed for the balcony, hoping god Nicotine would stop his hands from shaking and his mind from racing. Why did everything he started turn into a disaster?

**xxx**

Sora, still seated on the sofa where he had been sitting like glued for the past few minutes, stared dumbfound at the floor. His head was already spinning from the alcohol he had consumed, and he had to actually strain himself to try to appear normal.

Despite his surroundings becoming blurry and quite funny to him, he sure as hell hadn't missed what had happened only minutes ago.

Riku was gay.

The brunet knew it shouldn't be any of his business and most certainly should not affect him in any way, but it did. At the moment, he just felt really confused. Had something happened to Riku when they were travelling between different worlds to turn him like this?

Sora gasped inwardly. Had Riku had an _affair_ with someone? Who? Why?

With all the mixed feelings flooding his mind, the brunet finally rose from his seat, and somehow managed to make it out of the living room, though his balance indeed had suffered a great blow from the alcohol. He just wanted to see Kairi, and maybe go home.

Home. That surely sounded nice, it was getting late and the brunet was already exhausted. It was probably better to leave now, and avoid possible additional drama during the night.

He slumped down leaning against a wall, waiting for his girlfriend to exit the bathroom. A woozy feeling spread throughout him, and he realized the alcohol was probably only starting to kick in as he hadn't moved pretty much at all during the night, and now suddenly had rose to his feet. Great, was he even going to make it home like this?

Meanwhile, a certain redhead was leaning over the bathroom sink, trying to steady herself, convinced that Riku was probably hating Tidus as much as she was right now. Kairi tried to brace herself for the questions she was sure Sora would flood her with. Questions about Riku.

Riku Riku Riku. Would they ever have the chance to talk about _anything_ else than that idiot?

Kairi sighed darkly – she and Sora shouldn't have come to the party at all. She should have taken him to see a movie or something instead – anything, really. Things could have been normal. Now, they weren't going to go back normal anymore, and Kairi would have to work even harder to keep Sora by her side.

No, actually, she wanted to trust Sora. He wasn't going to betray her. He had always been there with her, through thick and thin, hadn't he? There was no way her boyfriend would pick that arrogant silveret over her.

"Why am I worrying so much? It's not like Sora's gay." She thought in a whisper, comforted somewhat by her own words.

She took a final glance into the mirror, fixing her hair a bit, before leaving the bathroom only to find her brunet boyfriend sitting right there outside, not looking very good – in regard of his condition. Kairi kneeled down next to him, giving the boy a gentle smile.

Sora smiled back, and reached his hands out for a hug, which the redhead gladly accepted with a happy giggle. He wasn't completely out of this world after all, even though he was pretty drunk. For a moment they remained as they were, completely oblivious to the occasional people passing by. Kairi slowly inhaled the familiar, serene scent of her boyfriend, relaxing completely in his warm embrace, scolding herself for worrying so much.

"Hey, Sora... Do you think we should head home yet?" She whispered gently and pulled back slightly, to look into those perfect blue eyes, now clouded by the effect of alcohol. He was as adorable as ever, nonetheless.

Sora's eyes flickered for a moment, but he seemed happy by the fact that someone was there to take care of him. Trying to steady himself a bit, he moved to sit on his knees, deciding that Kairi was probably right.

"Yeah, Kairi. Let's leave."

**xxx**

"Hey, you're not really gay, are you?" A pair of forest green eyes fixed upon Riku, who finally had managed to relax a bit, now surrounded by a few of Wakka's friends – four guys and a girl, to be exact.

He only knew two of the guys, which happened to be the only other guys who smoked; Adrian and William. They usually hung out with Wakka during lunch break at school, something the silveret also had formed a habit of doing nowadays. Riku surveyed the one who had questioned him with a mischievous smirk.

"Of course I am, wouldn't want Tidus _to win the bet_, now would I?" He replied, wiggling his eyebrows to deliver the hint, and watched satisfied as the guys gave an approving laugh, one of them patting him on the shoulder. Riku had a distinct feeling everyone at the party wasn't going to be very approving of his sexual preferences, and having already made himself a fool in the eyes of Sora, he had quickly changed his mind.

In his heart, he already felt too defeated to care. So what if he gave these guys the wrong impression? If he couldn't have Sora, then he might as well just forget about everything and pretend to be normal, like everyone else. Just because he was gay, it didn't mean that he wanted someone else to take the place the brunet boy had in his heart. It would always be for him, no matter if Sora accepted it or not.

Before he knew it, the guys were already introducing him to the girl who had joined them on the balcony – Yulia. Even in his drunken state, Riku couldn't miss the meaningful looks she cast him, the small gestures, how she seemed so interested in him and his doings.

She was pretty, very womanly, and seemed quite smart too.

But regardless of that, throughout the night, the silveret couldn't help but wish she was someone else every time she moved close to him, talked to him, gave him her full attention, smiled at him and told him he was such a captivating person, and how she wanted to get to know him better.

"Call me any time." She whispered into his ear, and forced a small note where a number had been scribbled, into Riku's hand.

But for him to be able to feel it and cherish it, it should have been Sora.

**xxx**

(A/N: Okay, dramadramadrama... Just to let you know, Sora's just confused, not mad like Riku thinks he is..! :P And I hope no one is offended by under-age drinking, living in the promised land of alcoholics I really have no idea what people from other countries do when they party...? Cuz we always drink (too much) and shit's a mess and it's really not that fun in the end lol xD but feel free to enlighten me! xD)


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